Art of bending and coiling pipe



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

H. E. FOWLER.

ART OF-BENDING AND GOILING PIPE.

No. 408,005. 7 PatentedJuly 30, 1889.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

H. E. FOWLER. ART OF BENDING'AND OOILING PIPE.

No. 408,005. Pdtented July 30, 1889,.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. FOIVLER, OF NEYV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITEDSTATES PIPE BENDING AND COILING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

ART OF BENDING AND COILING PIPE.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 408,005, dated July 30,1889.

Application filed April 1, 1889. Serial No. 305,610. (No model.)

T0 (6 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, HERBERT E. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Haven, Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefullmprowe-ments in Methods of Bending and Coiling Pipe, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to bend thin or fragile pipesueh as brassor co pperwithout reducing it in size or crushing or indenting it. It iscommon in bending such pipe to fill it with melted resin, which isallowed to cool; and before subjecting the pipe to the bending operationand after the pipe is bent it must be heated in order to melt the resinfor removal. It is not possible, however, by any method now in use tosuccessfully bend thin brass or copper pipe without to some extentreducing it in size and indenting its surface. The main difficulty hasbeen in feeding the pipe to the bending mechanism, the feeding havingbeen heretofore accomplished by gripping the end of the pipe after ithas passedbetween the bending-rolls and drawing it forward around thedie,0r by clamping the bent portion of the pipe with the die and drawingit forward as the die is rotated. These methods were faulty, in that thepipe could only be gripped throughout a small portion of its surface andthe force exerted operated to crush or indent it, and also to draw itout or reduce it in size.

By my improved method I am enabled to bend thin or fragile pipe intocoils of short diameter without filling'the pipe and without injury toit or reducing it in size.

The dominating feature of my invention is the method of feeding the pipeintermittently to the bending mechanism by forcing it forward by meansof appropriate gripping devices applied to the straightporti on of thepipe.

In the accompanying drawings I h ave shown appropriate means forcarrying out my improved method.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, a fragmentary portion of adriving-pulley being broken away; and Fig. 2 is a side View, partly insection.

In said drawings, 3 represents the supporting-table mounted upon apillar 4.

5 is a stud stepped into the table andbearin g upon its upper end thegrooved roll or die 6.

7 is a second stud carrying the grooved roll or die 8.

9 is a guide-plate adapted to direct the pipe between the dies. 4

10 is a sliding block adapted to move in the ways 10", and havingsecured upon its upper face the gripping-jaws 11 11, which will be sosecured to the block as to have slight lateral 6o movement.

12 is a second block, also movable within the ways 10, and havingpivoted to its upper face the short members 13 of the toggle-arms 14,which latter are pivotally connected to the 6g block 10, and havingtheir forward ends projected alongside the jaws 11. The block 12 has aprojecting stud 12, having on its forward end a pin 12, which Works in aslot 10 of the block 10. Block 12 also has a stud 15, which enters acam-groove 16 of a cylinder 16, secured to rotate with shaft 17.Movement is imparted to this shaft by a Worm-gear 19, operated by aworm-shaft 19, driven by means of a pulley 20.

The operation of the above-described mechanism is as follows: The pipewill be entered between the grippingjaws 11 and its forward endprojected between the guide-plate 9 and the roll 6'. Power being appliedto the pul- 8o ley, the described gearing Willmove the block 12 forward.The first effect of this movement will be to spread the rear ends of thetogglearms 14 and cause their forward ends to impinge upon the sides ofthe gripping-jaws 11, whereby the pipe is firmly clamped. A furthermovement of this block in the same d irection will cause it to come incontact with the rear edge of the block carrying the gripping-jaws, andthereby movementis imparted to said block, forcing the pipe forward between the dies and coilingorbendingit. This movement is continued untilthe edge of the block carrying the gripping-jaws has moved up to theguide-plate 9, and by this time the stud 15 has entered the returnportion of the cam-slot and the block 12 commences its backwardmovement, the first effect of which will be to release the gripping-jawsby the release of the toggle-arms 14:. The continued back- Ward movementwill cause the pin 12*, when it reaches the end of the slot 10 towithdraw the block 10, thus sliding the gripping-jaws backward along thepipe in position for a fresh attack.

By the means above described it will be observed that the pipe is forcedbetween the bending-dies instead of being drawn around the same, and asthe gripping device may be applied to the straight portion of the pipethe strain may be distributed over such a portion of the surface of thepipe as to avoid reducing, crushing, or indenting it.

I do not'intend to limit my invention to the means herein shown forproducing this forcefced, nor to the particular dies employed forbending the pipe, as my invention, broadly stated, covers any suitablemechanism where- HERBERT E. FOlVLER.

Witnesses:

C. H. HAYDEN, FRANK B. BYINGTON.

